Salamander
The Salamander is a boss in Castlevania: Dracula X. It is an giant aquatic monster that spews fireballs. Origins The salamander is an amphibian of the order Urodela which, as with many real creatures, often has been ascribed fantastic and sometimes occult qualities by pre-modern authors (as in the allegorical descriptions of animals in medieval bestiaries) not possessed by the real organism. The legendary salamander is often depicted as a typical salamander in shape, with a lizard-like form, but is usually ascribed an affinity with fire, sometimes specifically elemental fire. The association of the salamander with fire appeared first in ancient Greece, where Pliny the Elder writes in his Natural History that "a salamander is so cold that it puts out fire on contact. It vomits from its mouth a milky liquid; if this liquid touches any part of the human body, it causes all the hair to fall off and the skin to change color and break out in a rash." The ability to put out fire is repeated by Saint Augustine in the 5th century and Isidore of Seville in the 7th century. Legends have developed around the salamander over the centuries, many related to fire. This connection likely originates from the tendency of many salamanders to dwell inside rotting logs. When placed into a fire, the salamander would attempt to escape from the log, lending to the belief that salamanders were created from flames. Description The Salamander is a reptilian creature who dwells in fire. In the Castlevania series, it commonly appears as a serpent-like dragon who flies through the air, rather than the lizard-like animal from which it takes its name, and is heavily associated with the Fire element. It usually appears throughout the series as a spell which will summon this creature to deal heavy fire damage to all enemies onscreen. It has been also used defensively, like in Castlevania: Circle of the Moon, where its Attribute Card can be used in combination with other cards to resist or absorb fire attacks. Appearances ''Castlevania: Dracula X First appearance of a salamander in the series; however, this creature was only called "Salamander" by name, as it is in fact ''Dracula X version of the Serpent from Castlevania: Rondo of Blood. Instead of being a fire-elemental dragon, this creature dwells underwater and cannot fly, although it still has the ability to breath fire. Gallery DX Sea Serpent.JPG|'Salamander' from the Dracula XX instruction booklet CVDX-Salamander Fire Breath.png|'Salamander' from Dracula X Fire-1-.gif|Shield Rod (or Mablung Sword) + Fire Shield combination from Symphony of the Night Intruder - 01.gif|Intruder from the Gradius and Salamander series Trivia *In some Castlevania games, the Salamander resembles the Intruder enemy from the Gradius series, also by Konami; a serpent-like dragon engulfed in flames who can spew fireballs while slithering through the air. *The Salamander's body is described as exceeding 50 meters in length in the Japanese instruction booklet.[http://www.vgmuseum.com/mrp/cv5/manual/DraculaXX_22-23.jpg Akumajō Dracula XX instruction booklet, page 23.] See also *Salamander (DSS card) *Summon Salamander *Water Dragon References Category:Aquatic Monsters Category:European Mythology Category:Dracula X Bosses